Even if you’ve read this guide before, things are different this year.
I’ve heard often in the last several weeks from readers who want to submit My Turn commentaries for our opinion pages and are wondering how to do it.
I’m glad there’s such interest in sharing thoughts and viewpoints in our pages. And it reminded me: it’s time for my annual guide to how to send us news and information of all sorts.
Even if you’ve read this guide before, by the way, things are different this year. We’re not in our office and don’t know when we will be. You can leave us voicemail, and we’ll return the call, if appropriate — but you won’t find us at our desks.
So don’t send us snail mail — we won’t get it in a timely way.
Instead, please email at the addresses below.
And that said — here goes.
My Turn and Letters to the Editor
Pieces for the My Turn feature should be no more than 650 words, including a short bio of the writer. If it’s best run on a particular day — for instance, a piece about Labor Day — send it a couple of weeks before desired publication. We are often working well ahead.
Letters to the editor should be no more than 250 words; we prefer 150 or fewer.
Include your full name (not an alias), full address and phone number.
For both My Turns and letters, copy the text into the body of the email; don’t attach a file of any kind.
Then send them to letters@providencejournal.com, which is our address for both letters and longer pieces. Don’t send them directly to me, please; I’m not in charge of selecting them.
And please know that we get far more submissions for both letters and My Turn than we can publish. If we don't publish yours, it's simply because there are others that seem more urgent.
The Watchdog Team
Our Watchdogs are always hungry to check out tips about malfeasance and skulduggery in Rhode Island. Email them at watchdog@providencejournal.com — or phone (401) 277-7777.
Other tips and breaking news
If you have an investigative tip for us to explore, send it to the Watchdog address above. For other story ideas, email newstips@providencejournal.com.
Want to let us know about breaking news? Send it to breakingnews@providencejournal.com.
These addresses both reach a variety of editors and online producers. They are the quickest and most reliable way to reach the newsroom, especially while we are all continuing to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Food News
Send information about restaurants opening and closing, events and other food news to our food editor, Gail Ciampa — gciampa@providencejournal.com.
People on the Move
This feature covers people in Rhode Island businesses and nonprofits who have been promoted into new responsibilities. Send information and photos to business@providencejournal.com.
Listings
Send a news release about arts, entertainment or fundraising events to features@providencejournal.com. We’re glad to have photos — high-resolution 200 dpi jpegs — both to help us visualize what’s going on, and for potential use in the paper and online.
We need all listings material at least two weeks before the event you’re planning or the ticket deadline, whichever comes first. This allows time for the information to be processed, for editors to use the release to think about coverage, and for advance deadlines for some of our sections.
We also have an online-only calendar where you can enter your own events. Start by going to providencejournal.com/calendar.
First, please check to see if your event has already been entered by someone else. If not, you can create your event listing.
Click on "+ Promote Your Event," at the upper right of the page. Follow the directions from there. We’ll be automatically notified of your submission. As soon as we review and approve it, your calendar listing will be published online.
Planned news events
To deploy a reporter takes some effort. Usually, our writers will have worked out their schedules carefully, and our editors will have plans for their sections. It takes some finagling to un-plan them for a last-minute event.
So do yourself a favor and let us know well in advance that something interesting will be happening. A month ahead isn’t too much, but a few days is usually fine.
Again, email newstips@providencejournal.com. Explain to us what makes your event especially worth covering, your story worth telling. If there’s an unusual angle, please bring it to our attention. That will help to set your request apart from the rest.
Sports
Sports events are covered in their own department, and news of them should go directly there. Send it to pjsports@providencejournal.com.
More tips
As with letters and commentaries, please include your news release in the body of the email, rather than as an attachment. Time is precious, and we’d rather not have to click and wait for your release to open.
Give us all the information we’ll need. Who is putting on the event? Where and when is it happening? If there are tickets, how much do they cost? How would readers get them? And whom do we call or email if we have questions?
If you cancel your event, let us know that, too. We hate to list an event that isn’t really taking place.
If you need to resend your release because you’ve changed something, please let us know at the top what that something is. If we’ve already written something based on the release, we don’t want to have to compare it to what you’ve just sent to figure out what’s different — we may get it wrong.
Rather than "Press Release," use the subject line to give us some information about what you’ll be telling us in the body of your email. If it’s for the Books Calendar, for instance, say so. That will help us understand who should open it, and why.
Please send your photos — again, high-resolution jpegs — with the initial release, rather than making us ask. We may be on deadline when we open your release and could use a photo right then. Later may be too late.
Finally, if an event is involved, you’ve sent us information for a listing and you’re also looking for coverage, feel free to drop us another note closer to the date. It won’t bother us. In fact, we’ll be glad to be reminded.
We can’t promise that we’ll cover your story or use your photo, letter or My Turn submission. Our staff and space are not unlimited, and often we are choosing from a number of tempting possibilities.
But we’re always glad to hear from you.
— Alan Rosenberg is The Journal’s executive editor.
arosenbe@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7409
On Twitter: @AlanRosenbergPJ
The Link LonkAugust 15, 2020 at 10:05PM
https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20200815/alan-rosenberg-how-to-send-us-news-mdash-and-opinion
Alan Rosenberg: How to send us the news — and opinion - The Providence Journal
https://news.google.com/search?q=Send&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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